sexta-feira, 4 de setembro de 2009

By Jeff Waters, Democrat ReporterThe Suwannee County Health Department will commence a mass vaccination for the H1N1 (swine flu) in the coming weeks, Pamela Blackmon, administrator for the Suwannee County Health Department, said Friday.

Blackmon said the department will be ready for vaccinations when it becomes available, which should be by the end of October.

Blackmon said the department has been preparing local governments, the school system and other agencies through several meetings since June for the vaccination.

"I think that preparations are going very well," said Blackmon. " We have been working with community partners as well as the school system and local governments to prepare for a mass H1N1 vaccination campaign. When the vaccine is ready, we will be ready."

Suwannee County has five confirmed cases of the virus. Two were confirmed Friday, with three in July.

Vaccinations will begin with five priority groups, said Blackmon.

- Pregnant women

- First responders and health care providers

- Care givers of infants less than six months of age

- Children ages six months to 24 months

- People 25 to 64 years of age who have a chronic medical condition.

Blackmon said those not in the priority groups will be able to receive vaccination after all those in the group have received theirs, and as vaccine becomes available.

Blackmon said there will be several "points of dispersement" where people can receive the vaccine at certain times through a 12-week campaign. Those p.o.d.s will be released at a later date when they are confirmed. Shots will also be available at all area schools on a consent basis.

Blackmon said those with flulike symptoms should stay home and away from others.

"Sometimes people try to go to work and tough it out when they are sick, but this isn't the time to try to be tough," said Blackmon. "If you have H1N1 symptoms, just go home."

City Administrator Bob Farley said thanks to the health department, City Hall and its employees are well versed on the symptoms and are able to help fight the spread of the virus.

"The city is very prepared," said Farley. "Based on the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the health department, the city is very prepared. We have taken steps to inform all employees of the exposure of the virus."

Farley said the city uses hand sanitizers and air borne sanitizing equipment.

The symptoms of H1N1 are:

- Fever over 100 degrees

- Cough

- Sore throat

- Headache

- Body aches

- Chills

About 25 percent of people that have been sick with the virus also experience vomiting and diarrhea. Some people with this virus will

not have all of these symptoms, but may only have fever and cough or fever and sore throat.

"If you are at high risk for influenza complications and develop these symptoms, please contact your health care provider as soon as possible and follow (their) directions," said Blackmon.

LONDON, Sept 4 (Reuters) - British doctors have saved the life of a woman with severe swine flu after giving her an unlicensed intravenous form of GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK.L) drug Relenza, they reported on Friday.

Relenza, or zanamivir, is currently only approved as an inhaled medicine. This version, however, did not work in the 22-year-old patient, whose immune system was impaired due to recent chemotherapy.

She also did not respond to Roche's (ROG.VX) Tamiflu, or oseltamivir, which is given as a pill.

Doctors at University College London therefore decided to try intravenous Relenza in combination with high-dose corticosteroids and her condition improved within 48 hours.

"Although this is a single case report and direct cause and effect cannot be confirmed, the improvement in clinical status following intravenous Relenza encourages prompt further investigation," Michael Kidd and Mervyn Singer reported.

The new H1N1swine flu was declared a pandemic in June and has been spreading globally since then.

Other flu drugs are under development to deal with seasonal and pandemic influenza. One that has shown promise in intravenous form is BioCryst Pharmaceuticals's (BCRX.O) experimental product peramivir. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by David Holmes)

Vaccination, good hygiene practices are among recommendations to protect young children

Posted September 4, 2009

By Steven ReinbergHealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Since children under the age of 5 are at particular risk for complications from the H1N1 swine flu, U.S. health officials issued new guidelines Friday designed to limit the spread of the virus in early childhood programs, such as day-care centers and Head Start programs.

"While we think everybody should take the flu seriously, children less than 5 years old are at high risk for complications from the flu," U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said during a morning press conference. "Tragically, children do die, whether it's H1N1 or seasonal flu."

Sebelius noted that the new H1N1 swine flu is "a young people's disease," that can spread quickly in schools and child-care settings. Children tend to share toys, cough and sneeze and not wash their hands, making early childhood programs a great incubator for these germs to spread rapidly," she noted.

To combat the spread of the swine flu, children in early child-care programs should be at the front of the line to get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available in mid-October, Sebelius said. Children should also get a seasonal flu shot, which is available now, she added.

In addition, since children under 6 months of age can't get these vaccines, Sebelius stressed the need for parents, caregivers and day-care staffers to get vaccinated to protect their children and themselves. And, since pregnant women are also at high risk for complications from the H1N1 flu, they should also get their flu shots, she said.

"We believe the vaccines are safe," Sebelius said. "By the time the H1N1 vaccine is ready to go, we will know it is safe. We won't release it until we know the proper dosage and we know it's safe."

If children or day-care staffers get the swine flu, they should stay home and remain there for 24 hours after their fever subsides without using any fever-reducing medications, Sebelius said.

Parents and day-care providers also need to plan now for a swine flu outbreak, Sebelius said. "Parents need to figure out what to do if their child-care center closes. For providers, it is critical to think about staffing and who can step in as temporary staff," she said.

Day-care providers should monitor children and staffers for signs of the flu, Dr. Beth Bell, associate director for science at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during the teleconference.

"Program providers should do a daily health check of children and staff looking for signs of illness, so that sick children and staff can be identified, can be separated from well people as soon as possible and, when feasible, sent home," she said.

The CDC guidelines included these recommendations:

Wash hands often with soap and water; keep hands away from the nose, mouth and eyes; and cover noses and mouths when coughing or sneezing. Use a shirt sleeve or elbow if no tissue is available.

Clean the environment regularly. Areas and items that are dirty should be cleaned immediately, and all areas should be regularly cleaned, especially toys and play areas.

Staffers at high risk for flu complications and parents of children under age 5 who become ill with flu-like illness should call their doctor as soon as possible to see if they need antiviral treatment.

If the swine flu outbreak is severe, consider temporarily closing the day-care center to decrease the spread of infection. This decision should be made locally, in concert with public health officials, and should balance the risks of keeping a program open with the social and economic problems that can come from closing a program.

These guidelines may need to be revisited and revised should the swine flu prove more dangerous this fall and winter, health officials said. Under those conditions:

Let high-risk staffers stay home.

Increase the distance between children, and separate children into small groups of six or less.

Have children stay home if there are others in the household with the swine flu.

There may also be the need to close the program either as a reaction to the outbreak or as a preventive closure.

A photo showing Relenza, a medicine used to combat the flu, on a pharmacy counter in Rouen, France in 1999

Map

(AFP) – 21 hours ago

PARIS — Enterprising doctors saved the life of a young cancer patient infected by swine flu by making unlicensed use of Relenza, an antiviral drug, The Lancet reports on Friday.

The 22-year-old patient's immune system had been weakened by Hodgkin's disease and chemotherapy, damaging her defences against the A(H1N1) virus.

She was admitted in July to London's University College Hospital suffering from shortness of breath and fluid buildup in both lungs.

Neither Tamiflu, a pill that is the frontline treatment for swine flu, nor broad-spectrum antibiotics had any effect. By the third day, she was placed on an artificial respirator.

Doctors administered Relenza, also known by its lab name as zanamivir, in its licensed form as a nebulised spray.

But this remedy also failed and over the next two weeks she steadily worsened.

With her life in the balance, the doctors gambled on giving her Relenza intravenously, using a batch specially provided by the drug's manufacturers, GlaxoSmithKline.

They backed this with a high dose of corticosteroids to tackle lung inflammation.

Her condition improved dramatically and within 48 hours she was taken off artificial respiration and transferred out of the hospital's intensive care unit and into a general ward.

The unorthodox treatment had to be approved by the hospital's oversight committee and the patient's next of kin as it is not a recognised strategy for swine flu.

Most of the deaths from swine flu have been related to severe respiratory failure, especially from people with an underlying medical condition.

Physicians Michael Kidd and Mervyn Singer believe their patient's lungs were so impaired by the virus that she could not absorb Relenza in its spray form, so they took a final gamble on an intravenous drip.

Further investigation will confirm whether the treatment can find a wider use beyond a single case report, they said.

The World Health Organization says healthy people who catch swine flu don't need antiviral drugs like Tamiflu. In new advice issued to health officials, the U.N. agency said doctors don't need to give Tamiflu to healthy people who have mild to moderate cases of swine flu. WHO said the drug should definitely be used to treat people in risk groups who get the virus. AP Photo/Michael Probst

Four more people have died from the so-called swine flu, H1N1, bringing the total deaths in Hawai'i to 10, state Department of Health officials said

One of the deaths is a 5-year-old _ the first death of a child here, said Janice Okubo, state Department of Health spokeswoman. The others _ two adults with underlying health issues, one adult with no health issues _occurred between June and August. She said state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park confirmed the deaths. No other details have been released about the deaths by health officials who cite patient privacy, Okubo said.

The four deaths raise the total to 10 in Hawai'i since the first swine flu cases were confirmed here May 5.

H1N1 and seasonal flu target different groups. Seasonal flu typically affects the very young and very old and people with underlying chronic medical conditions. H1N1 also affects people with chronic medical conditions but doesn't seem to be as severe among people over age 65. Most hospitalizations and deaths are in younger people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified 40 deaths in children due to swine flu, which was first identified in April.

Nationwide there have been 550 lab-confirmed deaths and 8,800 hospitalizations.

MONTREAL — A New Zealander attending an international competition in the western Canadian city of Calgary has died of causes related to the swine flu, health authorities said Friday.

The unidentified man, whose son was participating in a WorldSkills Competition in Calgary, died of A(H1N1)-related causes in a local hospital on Thursday, said Andre Corriveau, Alberta's chief medical officer.

Corriveau said the official cause of death had yet to be determined, but said all appropriate precautions were being taken by the health services.

Over 1,000 competitors from some 50 countries were in Calgary for the WorldSkills Competition, at which young trainees perform the skills of their various trades in an annual competition.

Health officials have confirmed four cases of swine flu at the University of Colorado and identified 85 probable cases of the virus, up from 49 last week, the university announced Friday.

The four confirmed cases were tested for swine flu, known as H1N1 virus, by state health officials in order to verify that the illnesses at CU were indeed H1N1 and not the seasonal flu, said Dr. Pam Talley, the lead clinics physician at CU's Wardenberg Health Center. The sample was random, Talley said, and the confirmations don't change the way CU is dealing with the outbreak.

The other 85 students have not been tested for H1N1, officials said. Instead, they tested positive for Influenza A. The swine flu is a type of Influenza A, but only state officials can test for it.

Eighty-five probable cases may seem like a lot, Talley said, but it's not an overwhelming number given that there are nearly 30,000 students on campus.

"It appears to be similar to a seasonal influenza outbreak," Talley said of the H1N1 cases. "We are seeing more patients than we would normally see at this time of year, but it does not appear that we are on a huge upward trajectory."

CU is still advising sick students to stay isolated in their dorm rooms or apartments and not attend classes while they're sick. The 85 students who likely have H1N1 live both on and off campus, officials said.

WASHINGTON — Will you start seeing thermometers at day care centers? The government is urging the nation's 360,000 child care providers to be vigilant about sending home children who may have the flu — and the main symptom to check for is a fever.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines Friday for day care programs that echo the advice for schools: Kids need vaccine — against both regular flu and the new swine flu — and they should stay home when they're sick. Don't return until 24 hours after a fever naturally subsides.

"If your child comes down with the flu, we hope you plan to keep them home and not share this with their playmates," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said.

The guidelines urge day care providers to do a quick health check every day, looking for children with flu-like symptoms or other signs that they might be getting ill, such as not playing normally. Centers should separate the sick child from others until he or she can be taken home.

But it can be very hard to tell if a child is sneezing because of flu, the common cold or even allergies.

"There are many, many different kinds of respiratory illnesses that children get, and we don't want to be sending children home unnecessarily," said Dr. Beth Bell, a CDC epidemiologist.

So checking for a fever is what Bell called a "reasonable indicator" of flu, either the regular winter strains or the swine flu that scientists call the 2009 H1N1 flu.

While not everyone with swine flu has a fever, the CDC has said such cases are rare.

Regular winter flu kills 80 to 100 U.S. youngsters every year, so children are supposed to get vaccinated against it each fall. But swine flu is putting new emphasis on flu and kids: At least 40 children have died of it since spring, accounting for about one in 13 U.S. swine flu deaths, the CDC said this week — and it spreads very easily among children.

One puzzle: While regular winter flu is most dangerous to children 4 and under, most children who have died of swine flu so far are age 5 to 17. It's possible that that's because school-age children are the group most infected so far, but scientists aren't sure.

Regardless, children of all ages are supposed to be among the first in line to get swine flu vaccine when it arrives in mid-October.

Vaccine against both types is a good idea for day care workers, too, Sebelius said. It could mean the difference between a center staying open or having to close because of absent staff. Any child care workers that care for infants, or who themselves have high-risk conditions, will be among priority groups for swine flu vaccine.

"It's the best way to keep them safe and the way to keep the children in the center safe," Sebelius said.

Meanwhile, day care centers also should stress commonsense flu-fighters: Wash hands often, and teach children to cough and sneeze into their elbow, not the hand they'll immediately stick onto a toy or a neighbor. A key way that flu spreads is for someone to touch a germy surface and then touch their nose or mouth.

Back-to-School

Karen Alexander, 09.04.09, 04:00 PM EDT

With swine flu expected to affect one in three people this year, families need to plan ahead. Now's the time to start thinking about it.

As any working parent knows, a sick child in the family can pose a wrenching workplace dilemma. We've all been there: a deadline looming, a spouse with an important meeting planned, and a little one at home with a fever or a stuffy, runny nose.

But with experts predicting a potentially staggering outbreak--a pandemic perhaps--of the H1N1 flu virus this season, it has never been more important for working parents to plan ahead.

For one thing, the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, comes on suddenly, potentially leaving those who have been infected with little time to make arrangements.

"This is not like a cold where you can feel yourself starting to get sick," warns Dr. Laurie A. Rubenstein, a pediatrician in Redwood City, Calif. "With this virus, you are probably just as sick on day one as you are on day six. You get a fever and chills, and you are glassy-eyed and uncomfortable for six or seven days." (Swine flu symptoms are the same as regular flu symptoms: fever, body aches, chills and sore throat with possible vomiting or diarrhea.)

What's more, with the nation's schools and daycare centers working keenly to prevent the spread of swine flu among their youngsters, there will be significantly less tolerance for people bringing mildly ill kids to school. "If your kid has a 100-degree temperature and a little cough, they are telling you not to come to daycare. Parents who used to just shrug that off as teething symptoms are going to find themselves at home with their children," says Rubenstein.

Although there is still no surefire way to protect ourselves or our families from the H1N1 virus, Rubinstein urges parents and children alike to get the seasonal flu shot as soon as possible. President Obama told reporters earlier this week that the federal government is ramping up a "voluntary but strongly recommended" vaccination program.

To that end, a swine flu vaccine is expected this fall, and children are likely going to be able to receive it at school (with parental permission).

Though the seasonal influenza vaccine won't prevent swine flu, preventing seasonal flu can, at least, potentially help reduce the number of potential sick days a family will suffer.

Knowing a patient has already been vaccinated for seasonal flu will enable doctors to more quickly recognize swine flu if those symptoms develop, explains Rubinstein.

Develop a Plan

Medical experts and workplace advisers suggest we stock up on canned soups, equip our kids with plenty of hand sanitizer, and start communicating directly with our employers and spouses about what will happen if the flu hits.

At home with her two young daughters, Michelle Rohrer has been emphasizing prevention. She plays counting games to make sure the girls wash their hands long enough, and Rohrer is talking with them a lot about how this can help keep the flu away. (A great book for preschoolers on the topic is Wash Your Hands! by Tony Ross.)

But in her job at Genentech ( DNA - news - people ), where Rohrer is the vice president of pharmaceutical development regulatory affairs, she says she will make sure the 130 people she oversees are always ready to work from home. Rohrer encourages her employees to bring their laptops home every night--just in case they need to stay there.

From her standpoint as an employer, Rohrer says she plans to be flexible. "I will have to be open to people getting things done at night if they have a child home sick, and I need to prepare for the likelihood that some people might not be able to work at all," she said.

Lisa Brosseau, an associate professor of public health at the University of Minnesota, specializes in industrial hygiene and workplace health. She suggests working parents create a divide-and-conquer plan in case someone in the family becomes ill.

"The predictions are that one out of three people in the U.S. is likely to get this flu," says Brosseau. "The best you can do is to limit your opportunities for infection. We should never imagine that we're going to protect our families completely."

And because the virus has already been known to strike adolescents and young adults particularly hard, Brosseau cautions parents to keep close watch on their sick children, even older teens who might otherwise be left home alone to recuperate on the sofa while their parents are at work.

Decide Who'll Be the Care-Giving Parent

In case a child does fall ill, Brosseau suggests that one parent becomes the caregiver while the other should assume responsibility for preparing food and caring for the rest of the family. A care-giving parent should also consider sleeping separately from the other parent to minimize the virus' spread, she suggests.

"I made that mistake when my first child was born," admits Joanna Strober, a private equity professional and co-author of the book Getting to 50/50. She cautions women against believing they always need to be the ones to stay home when a child falls ill.

"We moms need to realize our husbands can do just as good a job," urges Strober.

Don't Go to Work if You're Sick

On the other hand, warns working mother Jennifer Dulski, don't go thinking you're so busy that you should come to work if you're potentially contagious.

A mother of two, Dulski is the CEO of Center'd, a local search and event planning Web site based in Menlo Park, Calif. She and her husband both have the flexibility to work at home from time to time, and Dulski says they generally manage to share unforeseen child-care responsibilities equitably.

But with only seven full-time employees at her fledgling company, Dulski urges the members of her team to be diligent about staying away from the office when they have been exposed to illness.

"We have a lot of parents here and when their kids get sick, they end up getting it too. I want to make sure people are set up to work from home so they don't make the rest of us sick," says Dulski. "When you only have seven people in your company, you do get concerned that the whole thing could get knocked down for a period of time."